So, what’s going to wind up popping up on your radar soon (maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually).

Well, remember after the last adventure in Iraq we heard the phrase Gulf War Syndrome?

Well, people are dying right now in Iraq.

Yes, you probably roll your eyes and think, “of course people are dying, there’s still a war going on.”

Soldiers are dying all right, but not from bullets, from pneumonia. Buried in among the items on the war is this item from The Albany Times Union on July 27th:

The U.S. Army Surgeon General's Office has confirmed two teams of epidemiology experts will investigate 12 cases of severe pneumonia — including two fatal instances — among military personnel in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Col. Robert DeFraites, the surgeon general's senior preventative-medicine physician, said it is uncommon for pneumonia to cause a breakdown in organs other than the lungs, as reportedly happened in one of the fatal cases.

Without releasing specific numbers, DeFraites said there has been a noticeable increase in pneumonia cases among soldiers since the war in Iraq began. DeFraites said preliminary tests show the illness is not passed from person to person and is not related to severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

Then on the 28th of July, the Springfield News Leader ran this article.

On the Unknown News website, the speculation is it’s the result of depleted uranium weapons. Certainly the report by the World Health Organization referenced in the article could support some of those conclusions.

Also, in this article from August 5th, the fact that the Army cites “dust” as a problem would also support the DU theory.

Well, everyone loves a good mystery. My curiosity is certainly piqued by this one.